Room air conditioner condensate disposal means



Jan. 20, 1959 L. w. ATCHIQSON 2,

ROOM AIR CONDITIONER CONDENSATE DISPOSAL MEANS Filed Sept. 21, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. LEONARD w. ATCHI son HIS ATTORNEY ROOM AIR CONDITIONER CONDENSATE DISPOSAL MEANS Leonard W. Atchison, Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application September 21, 1956, Serial No. 611,101

1 Claim. (Cl. 62280) The present invention relates to a room air conditioner and more particularly to means for disposing of condensate water from air conditioners of the type having a sump which at some time might be exposed to freezing weather conditions.

Although the invention is particularly applicable to condensate disposal means utilized in reversible-flow type air conditioners which are used as a means for cooling air in the summer and as a source of heat in the winter, it will be understood that it is also applicable to the ordinary air conditioner that is permanently installed and used only for ventilation or exhaust purposes during the winter months. For the purposes of illustration, however, the invention will be shown and described in connection with a room air conditioner which may be utilized for both heating and cooling an enclosure. Some of these units employ a reversible type refrigeration apparatus containing two heat exchangers, one located within an inner compartment of the unit and the other located in an outer compartment which is exposed to the outdoor air. Each heat exchanger operates interchangeably either as a condenser or an evaporator for heating or cooling an enclosure. The conditioner is provided with a sump for collecting condensate water which collects upon the unit being utilized as an evaporator, and the sump is normally positioned underneath the heat exchanger unit located in the outer compartment of the conditioning unit. In order to dispose of condensate collecting within the sump, many conditioners employ a slinger ring attached to and surrounding the periphery of the fan or blower which is used to circulate a stream of air over the outer heat exchanger. The slinger ring extends or dips into the condensate Water in the sump, and during rotation, throws the water out of the sump onto the outside heat exchanger.

During the cooling cycle operation of the conditioner, when the outside heat exchanger is functioning as a condenser, the condensate water is evaporated by the condenser coils. But in the winter, or during the heat cycle, When this heat exchanger is being utilized as an evaporator at below the ambient temperature, the water thrown thereon will no longer be evaporated by the cold evaporator coils. Instead, during the heat cycle operation of the conditioner, the outside heat exchanger becomes a source of condensate water which flows down into the sump. This causes a condensate disposal problem. Also, if the slinger ring is allowed to remain permanently in contact with the condensate Water within the sump, there is the additional possibility that the slinger ring might become solidly frozen'within the condensate water if the temperature drops below freezing. Even in the ordinary non-reversible type air conditioner, water from melting snow or rain sometimes accumulates in the sump and later freezes around the slinger ring extending into the sump. When the condensate or Water in the sump freezes and the reversible-type conditioner is turned on to provide heat or, in the case of the ordinary nonreversible type air conditioners, the fan is turned on nitcd States Patent ice to exhaust air or to provide ventilation, the fan is pre vented from rotating by the ice in the sump thus causing the fan motor to either overheat or resulting in serious damage to the mechanical parts of the unit. In any case the machine would fail to function properly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved condensate disposal device of the slinger type associated with the fan which will not become frozen in the sump when the condensate water freezes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved means for disposal of condensate when the reversible air conditioner unit is being operated on the heat cycle and the heat cycle evaporator will not evaporate the condensate water.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved device for breaking the condensate water up into extremely fine droplets or mist so that the air being circulated through the unit will carry it away.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

According to the present invention there is provided an air conditioning apparatus which comprises an indoor heat exchanger unit and an outdoor heat exchanger unit connected in refrigerant flow relationship with a compressor for conditioning air from an enclosure. A sump is arranged beneath the outdoor unit and receives condensate 'from the unit functioning as the evaporator. Air moving means such as fans are provided for circulating separate streams of air through the heat exchanger units mounted within the air conditioner. The outdoor fan is provided with a resilient member positioned adjacent the outer periphery of the fan and having a portion thereof which is forced outwardly from the periphery of the fan by centrifugal force. The outwardly forced portion of the resilient member contacts the condensate water during rotation of the fan and beats the water into a fine mist or small droplets which are carried off by the air stream.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is an elevation view of an air conditioner partially cut away to disclose the invention; and

Fig. 2 is an elevation view showing the fan and sump arrangement of the present invention.

Referring now to Fig. 1 there is shown an air conditioner of the reversible type which is arranged to be positioned within an opening in an enclosure. The outer casing of the unit has been removed to show the various parts. The air conditioner comprises a base 1 which supports an indoor heat exchanger unit 2 and an outdoor heat exchanger unit 3. The coils of the two units are connected in refrigerant flow relationship with a compressor 4- positioned centrally Within the air conditioner. A barrier 5 divides the conditioner into an inner compartment 6 within which the indoor heat exchanger unit 2 is mounted and an outer compartment 7 containing the outdoor heat exchanger unit 3. The conditioner is provided with a valve (not shown) which may be selectively operated to reverse the flow of refrigerant to the heat exchanger units 2 and 3. When the conditioner is on the cooling cycle, the air is drawn from within the room and circulated by a fan or blower 11a within the inner compartment 6 of the conditioner and passed over the heat exchanger 2 which is operating as an evaporator. During this operation of the unit on the cooling cycle, the moist air from within the room, circulating over the heat exchanger 2, forms a condensate on the coil surfaces of the heat exchanger 2 and is collected in a suitable drip tray (not shown) from which it is delivered to a condensate collection sump 8 formed in the base 1 in the outer compartment 7 of the conditioner. As shown in Fig. 1, an air moving means or fan 9 driven by a motor 10 is positioned in the outer compartment 7 of the conditioner for circulating a stream of air from the outside over the heat exchanger 3. The fan 9 includes a plurality of blades 11 positioned directly over at least a portion of the sump 8. When the unit is on the cooling cycle, the fan 9 circulates outside air over the heat exchanger 3 in order to cool this unit which is operating as a condenser.

As thus far described, however, this air conditioner with its reversible heat exchanger units forms no part of the present invention, but is intended only to be illustrative of one type of air conditioner to which this invention is particularly well adapted. It is not intended to limit the invention only to air conditioners of the reversible type as the invention is also very useful in the ordinary type air conditioner which may be permanently mounted to provide for ventilation and exhausting of air .during the winter months. As will now be described, the invention deals with means for disposing of condensate accumulated in the air conditioner sump during either the heating or cooling cycle operations.

In order to dispose of the condensate water collecting in the sump 8, the present invention provides one or more resilient members such as the U-shaped members I3, which are securely attached to the fan blades 11 adjacent the periphery thereof, in such a manner that the legs or end portions 14 of the U-shaped members 13 extend approximately parallel to the edges of the fan blades 11 as indicated by the dotted line position of Fig. 2. During rotation of the fan, the legs 14 of the resilient members 13 are deflected outwardly by centrifugal force and extend into the space defined by the sump 8. When the sump contains condensate water, the legs 14 dip into the water with a beating action as the fan is rotated. This breaks the water up into very small droplets or mist which can be picked up and carried away by the circulating air stream. When the fan rotation is stopped the legs 14 of the resilient member 13 are forced by the resiliency of the material to assume their original position which is entirely free from the condensate water.

When the conditioner is placed on the heating cycle the heat exchanger 2 is utilized as a condenser and the heat exchanger 3 is operated as an evaporator. During this operation, air from the outside being circulated over the heat exchanger 3, deposits water upon the surface of the heat exchanger 3 which collects in the sump 8. The conditioner is sometimes operated upon the heat cycle under conditions when the ambient temperature of the outside air passing through the outdoor portion of the unit is below the freezing temperature of -the water in the sump 8. When this is the case, the present invention eliminates the possibility of having the condensate disposal apparatus frozen solidly into the ice formed in the sump during a period when the fan has not been operating. As described above, when the fan is not rotating the resilient members 13 merely assume their normal position adjacent the edge 15 of the fan blades above the condensate water in the sump. When the fan is again energized for rotation there is nothing to prevent its operation, as would be the case where a slinger ring, which permanently extends down 4 into the condensate water, is utilized to dispose of the condensate water and becomes frozen solidly into the ice formed in the sump.

In the present invention'the members 13 are of a U- shaped construction and formed of a plastic material. However, the members need not be of any particular configuration as long as they can be attached to the fan blades and have a portion thereon that will become deflected by centrifugal force outwardly from the periphery of the fan blades such that the portion extends into the sump 8 only during rotation of the fan. The material from which the members 13 are formed does not necessarily have to be a plastic and the members will conceivably work sufficiently well if they are formed of a metal, such as a spring wire, providing the metal contains sufiicient resiliency to cause the members to return to their original position when the rotation of the fan ceases.

By the present invention there has been provided a condensate disposal means for an air conditioner which beats the condensate water up into an extremely fine mist which is carried off in the air stream, thus facilitating the disposal of condensate water without the requirement of further evaporating means or complicated drain arrangements. Moreover the present invention eliminates the possibility of having the apparatus frozen securely into the ice formed in the sump when the ambient temperature goes below the freezing temperature of water.

While in accordance with the patent statutes there has been described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing'from the invention, and it is, therefore, the aim of the appended claim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In an air conditioning unit of the type having a compressor, an evaporator and a condenser connected in refrigerant flow relationship for cooling an enclosure, the combination comprising a fan rotatably mounted in said unit for circulating a stream of air through said unit, a sump for collecting condensate water from said evaporator, said sump having at least a portion thereof positioned underneath said fan, a plurality of resilient members each having one end rigidly attached to a blade of said fan with the other end lying adjacent the periphery of said fan blade, said free ends of said resilient members being forced outwardly from the periphery of said fan by centrifugal force during the rotation of said fan, said outwardly forced ends dipping into said condensate water in said sump and beating said water into fine droplets whereby said condensate water is carried off in said air stream, the free ends of said resilient members assuming a position adjacent the periphery of said fan and entirely free from said condensate water when said fan is not rotating.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS I 840,708 Parrott Ian. 8, 1907 2,357,362 Smith Sept. 5, 1944 2,825,540 Merz et al Mar. 4, 1958 

